Head of Data Science

Data Science Festival; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A high-growth business in Manchester is seeking a Head of Data Science to lead a team of 6+ scientists. This role involves setting the technical direction, driving the transition to machine learning engineering, and aligning with company-wide objectives. You will have the opportunity to shape the data science strategy and support the career growth of talented scientists. The ideal candidate has proven leadership experience and a strong technical background in data science and machine learning deployment.

Responsibilities

• Lead a growing team of data scientists embedded across product and functional teams.
• Set the technical direction and ensure alignment with company-wide OKRs.
• Drive the transition towards machine learning engineering and champion end-to-end model ownership from research to deployment.

Skills

Leadership experience in data science or machine learning

Building and deploying ML models at scale

Structuring and leading embedded data science teams

Hands-on technical expertise with Databricks, Python, Spark, GCP/BigQuery

Experience with machine learning engineering best practices

Mentorship and career development skills

Job description

Head of Data Science

Salary: £110K – £120K + bonus

Location: Manchester 2-4 days a month

The Opportunity

We’re working with a high-growth business that is scaling its data function to the next level. Data scientists here have traditionally combined reporting with predictive modelling, but the business is now creating a dedicated leadership role to bring focus, structure and engineering rigour to the discipline.

As Head of Data Science, you’ll lead a growing team of 6+ scientists embedded across product and functional teams, while also setting the technical direction and ensuring alignment with company-wide OKRs. You’ll drive the transition towards machine learning engineering, championing end-to-end model ownership from research through to deployment in production. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the data science strategy, support the career growth of talented scientists, and deliver measurable impact in areas such as search, pricing, personalisation, vouchers, marketing, operations and finance.

Skills and Experience

• Proven leadership experience in data science or machine learning, ideally within product-led or consumer-facing organisations
• Strong background in building and deploying ML models at scale in production environments
• Ability to structure and lead embedded data science teams, partnering effectively with senior stakeholders across multiple domains
• Hands-on technical expertise with tools such as Databricks, Python, Spark, and GCP/BigQuery
• Engineering mindset, with experience moving teams toward machine learning engineering best practice
• Credibility to lead long-tenured individual contributors while providing direction, mentorship and career development

If you are looking for a new challenge, then please submit your CV for initial screening and more details.